BakerHostetler

BakerHostetler is home to nearly 1,000 lawyers across 17 offices throughout the U.S. The firm maintains the requisite laundry list of BigCorp clients, as well as a small yet respectable lobbying practice. 

A Little Investment

BakerHostetler was founded in 1916 on the strength of a $1,500 investment by three lawyers in Cleveland. The firm has long been active in the political world, with namesake Newton Baker serving as a Secretary of War during World War I. A few years later, Baker attorneys represented private utility companies in their nearly 20-year fight against New Deal legislation that authorized the creation of massive public power projects. Baker lawyers later went on to advise a number of key players in the Watergate and Iran-Contra scandals. Today, the firm has grown beyond its roots, with 14 offices outside of Ohio and lawyers coast to coast.

From Asset Recovery to Data

With specialties in bankruptcy, digital assets and data management, labor and employment law, intellectual property, litigation, and tax, BakerHostetler works across 16 practice areas in a dozen industries and also focuses on emerging issues like blockchain, Internet of Things, new markets tax credit, and more. The firm’s client roster includes AT&T, Amazon, Cardinal Health, The E.W. Scripps Company, Major League Baseball, Marriott Hotels, Toyota Motor Company, Microsoft, Caterpillar, and PhRMA.

BakerHostetler is a go-to firm for bankruptcy matters, having gained international recognition for its role as the court-appointed counsel to the Trustee in the Securities Investor Protection Act (SIPA) liquidation stemming from Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. With over 1,000 lawsuits filed and litigation in more than a dozen countries around the world, the firm has recovered more than $14.469 billion for the victims to date, and these unprecedented recovery efforts continue. 

The firm also has a strong Privacy and Data Protection practice. Ranked by Vault as a Best Law Firm for Privacy & Data Security, the firm’s Digital Assets & Data Management team has handled the responses to many of the largest data security incidents over the past decade and the novel litigation and regulatory work that follows.

A.I. Sidekick

The firm has a homegrown innovation team created to develop solutions to help clients navigate the intersection of technology and the law. In 2016, BakerHostetler became the first BigLaw firm to adopt ROSS—an “A.I. lawyer that helps lawyers research faster and focus on clients”—specifically for its bankruptcy practice. The tool allows attorneys to pose questions to its AI function, which will return documents, case law, and other resources that could be helpful when considering tough legal questions.

• Representing the SIPA Trustee in recovering funds lost in Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme; an unprecedented $14.532 billion has been recovered to date. Recovery efforts are ongoing.  
• Represented the Official Committee of Tort Claimants in the bankruptcy of Pacific Gas and Electric Company and PG&E Corporation, the sixth-largest bankruptcy in the U.S., ultimately procuring a $13.5 billion agreement on behalf of California wildfire victims.
• Served as Department of Justice-appointed monitor of Merrill Lynch in the massive investigation of the collapse of Enron.  
• For 100 years, BakerHostetler has provided transactional, employment and intellectual property counsel to Major League Baseball.

• Legal 500 2022  ---- 112 Attorneys ranked  ---28 Practice area rankings in The Legal 500 United States 2021
• BTI BakerHostetler was named a Powerhouse for Cybersecurity Litigation, placing it among the top one percent in the legal industry.  The firm was also named an Intimidating Opponent, one of only 23 firms to be recognized in this category.  
• Nine (9) BakerHostetler partners were named among the “BTI Client Service All-Stars
• BakerHostetler was nationally ranked in 41 practice areas and regionally ranked in 173 practice areas by U.S. News – Best Lawyers® in the 2022 “Best Law Firms” list, with 23 areas receiving national Tier 1 rankings. We received 103 Tier 1 regional rankings.
• 145 BakerHostetler attorneys were ranked in the 2022 edition of Chambers USA; 62 BakerHostetler practice areas were recognized, – with 14 practice areas receiving Band1 Rankings.
• 11 BakerHostetler attorneys were ranked in the 2022 edition of Chambers Global and 7 firm rankings were earned in the USA in the areas of International Trade and Privacy & Data Security in the 2022 edition of Chambers Global
• Named a Compass Award winner and Top Performer by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), recognizing those law firms and corporations showing a strong commitment to building more diverse organizations and a more inclusive legal profession.
• Corporate Equality Index 100% score for three years